Consort
by Myst Knight
Summary: Part of the Starcrossed Popstar series. After the Events of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby works for Queen Ripple as her personal bodyguard. As they grow closer, the queen develops other ideas about the pink puffball. Kirby/Queen Ripple


**Consort**

 **By Myst Knight**

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 _Disclaimer: Kirby's Dream Land is owned by Nintendo and HAL Laboratories. I write this without consent, and am making no money off of it._

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Character Expose: Queen Ripple

This is my name for the queen from Kirby 64 who sent Ribbon away from Ripple Star to seek help in defeating Dark Matter's corruption. Defined by her braids and glasses, Queen Ripple gives off a gentle aura...when she's not possessed! As it turns the Dark Matter had overtaken her too, which could've spelled doom in another reality. Luckily, Kirby and his Pop Star pals were there to thwart the threat with the power of the Crystal, and everything returned to normal.

* * *

Unclouded sunlight poured through the stylized meshing of the palace's tower window, shining down on the aptly named queen-sized bed and disturbing the slumber of its occupant. The unique, wingless fairy under the covers fidgeted lightly under the bothersome glare, but soon she gave into the call of morning and moved the bedspread aside, revealing a pair of lovely braids bound with bows. She grabbed a pair of spectacles and lightly placed them on her ears, tilting the bridge to adjust their focus. They framed violet eyes and a sweet face that was like a mother; benevolent, but with subtle authority.

Queen Ripple, in her pink nightie, wandered over to the lavatory to freshen up for the day. There was a strange moment as she appraised her portrait in the mirror, watching as feminine insecurely stared right back at her. She fluffed her braids lightly, testing to see if they remained fresh despite the long night. Grabbing a jeweled hairbrush, she combed her hair meticulously, her eyes wandering over to a dress hanging on a hook on the open door.

It was the royal gown of the ruler of Ripple Star, characterized by its long, exaggerated sleeves and frilly bows. Truly it was a dress fitting for the monarch of such a bright and tranquil place, and yet, it didn't suit her at all at this moment. She looked beyond the gown to a second outfit resting just behind it, and a silly smile overtook her lips. A moment later, she had changed into a lighter, summery version of the royal gown, flaunting the shorter sleeves and pleated skirt that made the ensemble look more like a seifuku than something a queen would wear.

Smoothing her skirt around her, she regarded the getup in the mirror, wondering if she really felt pretty. Then, she glared at herself with determination. "Okay, this is your big day!" she said, her expression almost resembling a grimace. "Be a good queen through the whole thing, and ask him!"

She didn't know if he'd say yes, though.

She huffed once more, and opened the door leading out of her chambers...and was hit with the sight of a pudgy, pink ball patrolling the hall. Kirby, famed warrior from Pop Star, was pacing back and forth with a musket perched on his nonexistent shoulder, a comically intense expression on his face. That intensity promptly melted into a bug-eyed expression as Queen Ripple's entrance startled him, and he fell down like a turtle on its shell. The gun toppled away and went off on the floor, an oversized boxing glove on a spring extending from the barrel with a distinct BOING! sound.

The young ruler giggled lightly, putting a hand to her mouth. "Good morning, Kirby," she said, her form contained in royal poise.

Kirby retained his startled countenance for a moment more, but he soon smiled, his boyish charm beaming through. He pointed a flipper-like arm towards her clothing. "You look pretty," he told her, his blue-black eyes glimmering.

Queen Ripple beamed like a sunrise, and performed a little twirl, her skirt flaring out. Now she felt pretty. "Thank you," she said, the girlish shyness from earlier returning via a flush on her cheeks.

To stop herself from getting any more giddy, Queen Ripple coughed surreptitiously into her hand. "Well, ehem, it's going to be a very hard day," she said in a queenly tone, straighten her glasses in a manner reminiscent of a schoolmarm. "I'll need you to be tiptop to defend me in my duties. Are you ready?"

Kirby nodded. "Yeah, but let's go on a picnic too!" he added, his request completely unabashed.

The shining promise of friendship touched her, and Queen Ripple was smiling once again. She raised her hand and prepared to speak, but was cut off by two high-pitched voices coming from the hall. "Your majesty, your majesty!" the pair of smaller fairies cried out, their small fluttering wings carried them quickly to the side of the queen and Dreamlander. "It's urgent!"

"What's wrong?" she addressed her servants, placing her hands on her knees and looking down at them.

"The Jr. Poppy Bros. and Bobos are into it thick!" the blue-haired majordomo, Mayflush, shrieked with a manic twinkle in her eye. "The Bobos accidentally ignited the Poppies' New Years fireworks ahead of time, and now the Poppies have barricaded the bridge and won't let the Bobos return to the prairie, even though it's their home too!"

"Queen Ripple, we need your judgment!" the red-haired handmaiden, Cherrybud, agreed, albeit a bit more calmly.

Queen Ripple regarded all this with a placid look, then set about calming the duo. "Very well, let's call the mediator Mumbie onto the scene," she began, putting both comfort and kindness into her words. "He's on great terms with both the Poppies and the Bobos. With him on our side, I'm sure we can all come to an agreement so that everyone can be happy."

"Right, right!" Mayflush said. Still spurred by anxiety, she darted though the halls and down the stairs leading to the audience room, where she hoped to find the right man to make the peace treaty happen.

Cherrybud remained floating in the air a moment more. "But your Majesty, what will you be doing?" she asked, her green eyes blinking in concert with her fluctuating confusion.

Queen Ripple turned away, and peered over her shoulder at the shorter fairy. "I'm going on a picnic with Kirby!" she said, tossing a wink behind her.

Kirby nodded happily, and reached for her hand. Suddenly, he took off wih a start, pulling the queen along with him. Queen Ripple laughed gaily, and let herself be dragged clear out an open window into the tranquil Ripple Star breeze. Both of them could be heard giggling as Kirby carried them both through the sky, courtesy of his fly-by-puffing ability.

Cherrybud regarded the floating duo for a moment more, and tilted her head to the side. "But it's weird obeying a queen who looks like a cosplayer," she said, pulling on the ribbon in her hair subconsciously.

* * *

The whole affair had started several years after the third battle with Dark Matter. Though the Dark Matter's angelic puppet O2 had been defeated at Dark Star, some facet of Dark Matter was still evident, because that the battle took place so close to Ripple Star. It seemed like nothing at first; just a few N-Z's that managed to crop up in the flower fields from time to time. It was after a Mariel dark spider creature got as far as the throne room that Queen Ripple began to once again fear the darkness that had once engulfed her.

Her handmaiden and confidant Ribbon had come up with the suggestion only fifteen seconds after hearing about the queen's latest nightmare. Some of the fairy folk were against having Kirby as the queen's bodyguard; though he had been awarded the highest honor of a crystal pendant, he had a reputation for clumsiness as well as being a fan of napping. At the Queen's order, though, Kirby was called from Pop Star to fill in as chief of security. And despite some setbacks, he proved to be as competent and plucky as ever.

And more. Queen Ripple smiled as she brought up a Maxim Tomato, waving it suggestively in front of Kirby, sitting across from her on the checkered picnic blanket. Kirby hopped up in his seat excitedly, opening his normally small mouth to gigantic proportions. She swung the treat back and forth, and tossed it up above the pink puff. Her eyes twinkled with amusement as he sucked it clean out of the air and into his mouth, smiling back at her as she clapped.

Though Kirby was always pleasant, he didn't quite treat her the same as her handmaidens and even Ribbon did. He obeyed orders without complaint, but wasn't cowed nor awed by her presence; to him, she was simply the cute braided lady he was sworn to protect. It was a change from the behavior of her subjects; sometimes, she felt like everybody's mother. But now was a time she could kick back and enjoy things the Dreamland way, the laid-back way.

The cupcake tossed and turned on a collision course with Kirby's mouth, ready to be ingested. Unfortunately, he had already filled his face with two sandwiches and a rice ball, so the confection ended up as a blob of splattered goo between his eyes. He looked cross-eyed for a moment, and slowly began to swallow his wad of food. His cute mannerisms were too much, and Queen Ripple laughed at his expense.

Kirby stared at her for a moment with his patented "he's a jolly fellow" expression, his eye twitching. But soon, that expression grew a touch mischievous, and he sought a pumpkin pie lying beside him. The queen's pretty face was soon covered with crust and filling, leaving only two bespectacled eyes peeping cartoonishly out from the mess. Kirby laughed like a jester, rolling about the picnic blanket like Marble Madness.

He ran off quickly with Queen Ripple chasing him in fury, swearing that she would put him in the stockades without snack time, by royal decree. But the false anger poorly hid the underlying friendship between, it was all fun, and the strange thoughts Queen Ripple had courted since the morn remained on her mind.

She still didn't know if he'd say yes.

* * *

The picnics were a welcome daily activity for the two; Queen Ripple hadn't cooked for a long time, and Kirby was always happy to enjoy her culinary creations. (sometimes he donned his chef hat and joined her) But that wasn't all they did. Many times they went to the sparkling beaches to frolic in the rolling waves. Kirby would splash water at her, and she would giggle at its cold caress.

And then, there was always business to attend to.

SCRRRACK! the gleaming blade arced down in a fiery swath, delivering the famed cleaver Sir Kibble an ironic end. As the baddie's bisected body disintegrated in a decidingly ungory glitter of stars and sparkles, Kirby brought his flaming zanbatou back under control from the wide follow-through that a swing of this massive weapon required. He pulled at the sword's cross-guard from either end, and the weapon split back into to Cutter and Fire ability stars. Putting the abilities away into some sort of subspace, he tossed a confident smile at the queen, whom stood behind him nervously with her hair and clothes blowing in the wind; the classic fantasy damsel.

She smiled gratefully at her hero, feeling her heart rate rise at the daring save. Kirby's benevolent strength seemed to be just for her. It wasn't entirely true, of course; the Pop Star warrior would have given his all for any of his friends. But somehow it all formed together in her mind as a cohesive whole; today, Kirby had fought for her alone.

It was times like this that got her blood churning, and spurring her into minding future. Though she looked as ageless as the sky, Queen Ripple wasn't getting any younger, even as Kirby grew into even more of an indefatigable hero. The female fairy folk looked at the stars for their soul mates, and it was especially important for the chosen Wingless Fairy to select one to rule alongside her. But she wasn't thinking about who would necessarily make a good king; she only heard her heart's irregular rhythm.

And so it had come to this. A candlelight dinner, just for the two of them, had been prepared by a foreign chef from Pop Star. There was baked potato, glazed ham, boiled greens, things too complex for the average palace fry cook. Everyone had cleared out of the dining hall, leaving everything perfect for the two to enjoy a meal and each other.

Kirby, of course, was just pleased to have a meal with a friend, and dove into the feast with much gusto. By contrast, Queen Ripple dined on a small platter of food; it was a silent acknowledgment between the two that the plate was hers, and everything else was Kirby's. All the while, she kept opening and closing her mouth, trying to find the right moment to bring up her question. She chose Kirby's third helping as the opportune time, just as he was beginning to slow down.

"Kirby, do you enjoy it here on Ripple Star?" she asked him, her expression serious, yet serene.

"Mm-hmm!" Kirby answered, his mouth still full of stuffing.

"Well, if that's that the case, then," She gulped. "...I would like you to be my consort."

"Hmgh," Kirby burbled, swallowing his mouthful quickly. "What's a consort?" he asked, his eyes wide and curious.

"If you become my consort, we'll be able to have lots of adventures like we do now," she said, apprehension engulfing her as she thought about what she was going to say. "You can continue to protect me as my bodyguard, and we can dance and k-kiss and you'll live on Ripple Star with me, in your own room at the palace. So, would you like that?" She felt the breath in her throat like a dumbbell, surprised that she had been so forward with with.

Kirby just nodded as if she had asked whether he preferred to have beans instead of cauliflower. "That sounds great," he said, reaching for some more turkey pot pie.

Queen Ripple was a bit dumbfounded by this anti-climatic resolution, and leaned in closer. "Are you sure?" she asked, her eyes twinkling uncertainly behind her thick glasses. "You don't mind leaving Pop Star to live with me?"

"Ripple Star is nice, and I have lots of friends here," Kirby explained, an earnest expression on his face. "And I love pretty Ripple-chan a whole lot."

Queen Ripple felt her cheeks erupt in a flush deeper than a nontoxic crayon. And before she could do anything else, Kirby stood on the tabletop and ensnared her lips in a kiss. She felt her breath fade away, as this round creature took the initiative and deliver an ace from the ball in his court. Had Kirby somehow always known it would come to this? Was he always prepared to say yes.

 _It tastes like turkey,_ she thought, as her eyes slowly fluttered closed and her questions faded away. She sank into the kiss, welcoming her new consort with a heart brighter than Ripple Star itself.

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'Fin


End file.
